Aprilia is flying high, Ducati is coming under pressure, but Livio Suppo warns against making hasty judgments – why the start of the season can be deceptive
The start of the 2026 MotoGP season provides plenty to talk about. Aprilia in particular is causing a stir with its strong performance, while Ducati looks unusually vulnerable. For Livio Suppo, however, this is no reason to make hasty judgments.
“It’s easy to forget what Aprilia was when Massimo Rivola signed – clearly an outsider,” explains the former team manager to GPOne.com. The current strength is the result of continuous work. He particularly emphasizes the role of Fabiano Sterlacchini, who joined as Head of Engineering at the end of 2024.
“Fabiano is doing an excellent job. This is now confirmation,” says Suppo. What’s more: In contrast to financially strong manufacturers such as Yamaha, Aprilia has always worked with more limited resources. “They have always had a very close eye on the budget.” This makes the current success all the more remarkable.
The breadth of the field is also impressive in sporting terms. Not only Marco Bezzecchi is shining, Jorge Martin is also making headlines: “His comeback is perhaps the biggest surprise.” Despite missing tests and physical problems, he is riding “incredibly fast”.
Ducati: crisis or normal fluctuation?
The discussion about a supposed crisis at previous industry leader Ducati is put into perspective by Suppo with a wink: “If crises were always like this… I think Yamaha would sign up immediately, maybe Repsol-Honda too (laughs).”
In fact, he sees the causes of the current weaker results more in the details: technical fine-tuning, different tires and unusual tracks have distorted the balance of power. Basically: “If you want to further improve a very competitive bike, it becomes even more difficult.”
Suppo clearly rejects the criticism that Ducati has oriented itself too much towards Marc Marquez: “The Ducati was never in Marc’s hands like the Honda.” Unlike at Repsol-Honda in the past, there have always been several strong Ducati riders.
The fact that Marquez is currently lagging behind expectations as the reigning MotoGP World Champion is not due to a lack of motivation, says Suppo. “I don’t think he is demotivated or has lost determination,” says the former team boss. Rather, the Spaniard is simply “physically not in top form”.
Marquez himself therefore does not blame the material for his current slump in form: “He says the problem is him, not the bike.” Suppo leaves it open, however, whether this is out of pure team loyalty or conviction.
He is more concerned about Francesco Bagnaia’s form: “It is strange to see that he is only fast in phases again.” A second weak year in a row would make the situation much worse. “And it’s a bit of a shame for the fans.”
However, Suppo warns that it is still too early to make any definitive assessments. “Before talking about a real crisis, I would wait for two or three more races.”